Her hands were shaking, but she had little choice. “Don’t blame me for being ruthless. It was you who did a bad job after taking my money. You should have fallen to your death that day. There is no point in living like this now. Just let me help you to depart.”The ECG machine beside her suddenly emitted a piercing beep.She was startled, and the syringe fell out of her hand.But it did not matter.Hastily, she picked it up and shoved it into her bag.To be on the safe side, she had brought an extra vial. A small enough was sufficient to exterminate a healthy adult, let alone a dying man.Sure enough, the ECG rate fluctuated, and the wave gradually flattened into a line after the ear-splitting sound.She took a deep breath while watching the man struggling on the bed.After a while, it was a dead silence.She reached out her hand to probe under his nose. There was no more breathing.Half an hour later, she left the ward.What she did not know was that another man arrived s
Stella’s husky, confused voice turned Weston on. He leaned over and planted a deep and passionate kiss on her lips. She was almost out of breath when he finally let her go.“What’s that?” Stella asked, still in a daze. “What are you doing? It’s uncomfortable.”“Don’t move,” Weston commanded. “I’m taking your temperature. Did you catch a cold?”“No,” Stella shook her head.“But your body has been hot and cold these past two days. Are you sure you’re not sick?”Stella shook her head again.“I feel fine...” she insisted.The medicine worked really well when she took it last night, and she hardly experienced any negative side effects. Even Weston noticed that she was especially compliant last night, although he would have never suspected it was the effect of the drug.“You must tell me if you’re feeling unwell, okay?” he told her while stroking her hair gently.“Okay…” Stella replied simply, aroused by Weston’s warm breath on her face. Stella usually took her medicine early in t
The next day, Stella was woken up by the sound of a familiar ringtone.It seemed someone had been trying to reach Weston since last night. His phone had been ringing all night, but neither of them had paid any attention.Stella glanced at Weston, who was still fast asleep. It was the first time that he slept more soundly than her. She reached over and grabbed his phone. Her eyes darkened when she saw the name of the caller on the screen.Just as she silently stared at the phone, Weston opened his eyes. Stella happened to look over, and her eyes met with his stormy ones.“Why aren’t you answering the phone?” he asked with a faintly hoarse voice while looking straight at her as though trying to plumb the depths of her soul.“It’s your phone,” she replied, handing it to him.Half propped up on his elbows, Weston pulled Stella into his arms so that she would lean on his chest. Then with his other hand, he reached out of the blanket and answered the phone.“What is it?” he asked.“F
Weston was so blunt that it rendered Stella speechless for a moment. Then, she burst out laughing.“Are you kidding me?” Stella asked incredulously. “He’s your friend! I’ve nothing to do with him! Am I not even allowed to ask a simple question?”“It’s best that you’ve nothing to do with him,” Weston held her in his arms and stroked her hair. “I want it to stay that way.”He had no idea why he would be so possessive of her, and he simply couldn’t bear to see her being even mildly interested in other men.“You’re mine, Stella. You’re mine alone.”Stella merely found those words amusing and thought nothing of it.“By the way,” she added casually after a long pause, “I heard you guys talking about a… kidnapper? What was that about?”The way she put it sounded as if she cared little about it, but Weston could clearly see that she was keenly interested from how her eyes darted in excitement.He sighed and kissed her forehead.“Do you still remember that day… when you fell from that
Thus, something dawned on Henry.“Don’t tell me the most unlikely scenario that could happen just happened…”Whenever Guinevere couldn’t get the kind of treatment she wanted from Weston, she would constantly go to him, complaining and asking for help. Henry learned of Weston’s love life from her, and he could guess that this Ella he spoke about was the person that, according to Guinevere, was a substitute Weston was using for Stella Sealey. It was understandable that anyone would be reminded of Stella when they saw Ella since they looked so uncannily similar, yet to Henry…After all, he was the one who had done Ella’s DNA identification and saw with his own eyes that Stella Sealey and Ella Steele were not the same people.He simply could not believe that a man like Weston would fall in love with Stella’s substitute. Besides, Ella was completely unaffected by the kidnapping. Or was Weston trying to mold and shape Ella into the real Stella Sealey?“I don’t want anyone else to know
Weston suddenly pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back.“I know what you’re thinking, Stella. Please just give me a little more time.”Stella closed her eyes.She no longer had any trust in him.…The shooting had finally progressed up to the original schedule. Bradley too had been in a good mood lately. He feared that because of the rush, they might have to sacrifice the quality of the work. But after a short overtime stint, everything turned out surprisingly well, and they were even on schedule now.Guinevere had been uncharacteristically quiet these couple of days. She did not trouble Stella even once. That was because her mind was occupied by the fear that her connection to the kidnapper might be exposed. But so far, there was still no news of Weston taking any action since the kidnapper died. Everything was quickly dealt with, and with news of the man’s death being hushed, no one else caught wind of it.Seeing this, Guinevere could finally feel at ease. She did
Stella’s performance was so impressive that it drew everyone completely into the story, so when Guinevere interrupted it so suddenly, everyone on set was floored.“A little off?” asked Bradley, massaging his temples and trying very hard to suppress his rage. “How so, Guinevere?”“Sophie is a pure and naive character,” she replied. “She shouldn’t be so shrewd and devious when she turns to the dark side. She’s just a petty character! Didn’t you find that Ella’s performance didn’t fit the character?”“Perhaps it was a little unexpected,” said Bradley, “but that’s only because Ella’s interpretation of the character was even more layered and sophisticated than we thought.”For a moment in that scene, she even managed to outshine the heroine. It was also obvious that Guinevere had cut off the performance because she hated someone else standing out more than her. As a result, everyone just kept quiet.Only Bradley dared to speak up.“I think her performance will enrich the film,” he arg
Every time Weston wanted to pick Stella up, he would tell her to meet him at a certain place. But right now, she dreaded being seen going into Weston Ford’s car, especially not when she was working on the same movie set as Guinevere. Anyone at all could report it to her.After some consideration, she replied to the text message, saying, “I’m still in the middle of the shoot. Text me later.”After that, she got out and took a taxi straight to Fern University.Meanwhile, Weston’s face turned gloomy. The driver, noticing this, carefully asked, “Why are we going now, Mr. Ford?”“Where is she going?” he asked, rubbing his temples.Through the tracker, he saw that Stella had just gone to Fern University, to which he told Weston.“Follow her,” Weston instructed in a cold voice.“Yes, Mr. Ford.”… Stella had no clue that she was tracked. Once she reached the university, she paid the taxi driver, got out of the car, and called Roger to come out and meet her. Roger had just partici
Stella had rarely ever woken up before him.He had always been terrifyingly strong, but their lovemaking last night must have consumed a lot of his energy, leaving him so tired that he was still sound asleep.She stared at him and suddenly felt like doing something naughty. She pinched his nose and held her fingers there, trying to suffocate him. Unsurprisingly, he soon knitted his handsome brows and quickly woke up.He was surprised to see her mesmerizing eyes as soon as he woke up, which made him pause. He then took her hand into his and kissed it again and again.“Are you okay?” he asked with concern, remembering how wildly he ravaged her last night.She had only been willing to be intimate with him because she was under the influence of a drug, yet he had taken advantage of her and had his way with her over and over again last night.Stella did not speak. Seeing her like that made his expressions turn a little colder. He fell silent for a long time before he got up and sl
The moment Stella saw him, she flew into his arms and clambered onto his body. She kissed him again and again, trying to search for his breath so she could explore his body even deeper. All she wanted was to let him extinguish the fire burning inside her.Half an hour had passed, and the effect of the drug on her body was its strongest now.Weston swallowed his saliva. Without any hesitation, he pinned her against the bathroom mirror and kissed her vehemently on her face, her shoulders, then her neck.Stella could not stop herself from letting out loud moans. The sounds she produced only drove Weston wilder. Even the corners of his eyes began to turn red now.Luckily, there was still a thread of reason in his mind. He pushed her away and, while panting heavily, asked her, “Who am I, Stella?”But Stella’s mind was occupied with her primal urges. She ignored his question and grabbed his shirt collar, saying, “Let’s do it…” The sight of her filled Weston with a desire to just give
Weston paused, then simply replied, “Okay.”When he saw her changing into a pair of high heels, he followed her around and asked, “Where are you going?”“Oh, to a private concert.”Then she added, “If you’re going to spend the night here tonight, then please take care of Elias and Emma. But if you have to leave, I’ll ask Roger to come over instead.”“Don’t worry,” he said. “Just go out and enjoy yourself. I’ll be at home and take good care of the kids.”Stella paused suddenly, feeling inexplicably weird about what Weston had just said. It sounded like she was forcing him to stay at home and take care of the kids while she went out to have fun without a care in the world. She turned around to look at Weston, feeling like he was acting like a poor neglected housewife.She shook her head and tried to shake this terrifying thought out of her mind.When they arrived at the concert, Hayden offered his arm to her like a gentleman. They then walked into the private concert together, w
Stella’s words rendered Weston speechless. She was right. He had been the one to agree to let Stella date other people, so he must seem like a fool saying all those things to her.He withdrew his hands and forced himself to calm down a little. “I have no intention to stand in your way,” he told Stella. “I was only worried about Elias and Emma. Since they’re also here, I think you need to take their feelings into consideration.”The children could sense the strained atmosphere between the adults, so they just waited patiently on the couch with Roger, occasionally poking their heads out to look at their parents.Seeing his kids like that, Weston slowly added, “I’m only here to see the kids, so both of you can go ahead with your date.”Stella said nothing and just took Hayden’s hand and left.When they got downstairs, Hayden glanced at her and asked, “Are you sure you want to just leave him like that?”“I don’t know,” Stella massaged the point between her brows. “I’m not sure wh
Hayden Quirk arrived half an hour earlier than Stella did on their first date.“You’re much earlier than I expected,” he joked as Stella walked in.Stella was actually on time, but she still felt a little guilty when she saw him already waiting for her when she arrived.“The traffic is terrible today,” she said.“Don’t worry about it,” Hayden said, handing her the menu. “Mr. Ford expected me to wait for you for at least an hour.”“I seriously don’t know what you guys are up to,” she grumbled, exasperated, “but I hope it will at least be over soon. Just don’t drag it out and cause me any trouble.”She ordered a few dishes, then handed the menu back to him. Hayden took it from her, ordered a few more signature dishes that the restaurant was popular for, then looked at Stella with a faint smile.“Did you think this is all just a joke?” he asked.“What else could it be?”“I am serious about this,” he told her, his voice suddenly turning grave. “Since even Mr. Ford agreed that we s
Weston raised his eyebrows at Ben’s words. “But he’s divorced. He has an ex-wife.”“What’s wrong with having an ex-wife?”Ben found Weston’s comment strange. “This man has good qualities. Upon investigation, he has a very good personality too. He was an active member during college. He also has an amazingly beautiful resume. It’s normal that a man like him has been married before… Besides, hasn’t Ms. Sealey been married before herself? She even has two children.”Weston’s expression turned cold at once. “Are you discriminating against her?”“I’m not.”Weston said, “Or do you think she can only find a divorced man for her second marriage?”Ben panicked. “I wouldn’t dare!”With Weston’s ridiculous amount of nitpicking, they could find no one that would match Stella.Hayden sat beside and quietly reviewed Weston’s latest psychological health report. As he turned the page, he suddenly said, “I’m actually a little interested in Ms. Sealey.”Hayden laughed a little and turned to Wes
Stella opened her eyes and shot Weston a cold look. Then, she turned her head the other way.Weston did not touch her again. He knew she was probably angry with him, so he stayed silent.A few moments later, he reminded her, “Don’t be angry. That man is unreliable.”Stella propped her chin in her palm. “And what does that have to do with you?”Weston pursed his lips, setting his jaw in a tight line. He said, “I’ve promised to stop pestering you. It’ll be a promise. I’m fine with seeing you with another man, but at least find someone who makes me feel at ease.”“Why do I need your approval when I’m just looking for a date?” Stella found his words funny. “You’re just my ex-husband. Don’t you think you care too much?”Weston rubbed his brow, and his voice suddenly went cold. “If you don’t want me to keep pestering you like I just did, maybe you should listen to me.”Stella questioned, “Are you threatening me?”“No. I’m suggesting.”Stella was lost for words. Then, she suddenly
Stella froze for a moment when she heard the voice. When she turned around, she saw that Weston had appeared behind her at some point.Weston stared at the man behind Stella with a cold gaze and an icy aura around him. Weston had always emitted a strong aura around him. Anyone who saw him would immediately be terrified because of his intimidating aura.The man froze for a moment at Weston’s sudden appearance. He took a step back and quickly steadied himself before greeting Weston, “Mr. Ford.”He still had the same calm and gentle look. “I’m sending Miss Cicily back.”“I know. Don’t ever show up in front of her again,” Weston told him. “You don’t have to send her back. Stay away from her.”It would be a little inappropriate for the man to act a fool at Weston’s straightforwardness, so he tugged at his collar and asked Weston with a polite smile, “Mr. Ford, you should give me a reason, shouldn’t you? I’m having a good time with Miss Cicily.”“You’re the one who thinks she’s having
Stella smiled. It seemed like he had come prepared.Stella enjoyed chatting with the man. He was sincere and introduced himself properly as soon as they started chatting.The man was also a pianist and came from a scholarly family. Although not super wealthy, he was doing considerably well in the middle class. Stella would not need to worry about the quality of life with him, but that was about it. She certainly could not live a luxurious life.Stella had a good impression of him. She also talked to him a little more about piano music.Stella twirled her hair and smiled. She told him with a nice voice, “I’m sure Roger has already told you about my situation.”“I know.”The man looked at her gently and set the coffee in front of her. He said to her, “I’m very interested in you. I think we’re very suitable for each other. Our living standards nowadays have improved quite a bit. Not many look for a partner purely because of material qualities. People with emotional needs will search